After Life
by Belldere
Summary: Tonks tries desperately to find the love of her life among the battlefield and is reunited with him in a way she never expected. Meanwhile Harry has more people watching over him than he thinks as he makes his way to Voldemort.


"Remus! REMUS! Please! Where are you?! REMUS!" Tonks rasped out his name over and over again, forgetting the battle that raged around her, forgetting that she should be fighting, forgetting why she was there.

All she could do was scream her lungs out and try to get to him.

Where was he? Why hadn't she found him yet?

Tonks was choking back tears, desperate to keep moving, her mind racing a mile a minute along with her.

'I have to keep going' she thought wildly 'I have to find him'.

She flew around the corner of the castle, deflecting spells and sending some of her own back in return, but never giving her full attention to the fight.

Tonks had just began to think she should feel grateful that she hadn't found him yet, because it might mean he was still be fighting and moving around, when she saw him.

Her husband, the father of her child, the love of her life and her best friend was lying, spread-eagle, on the soft, untouched grass.

Tonks let out a strangled cry and flew towards him, skidding on her knees to reach him faster.

He seemed so much younger in death.

Not that it mattered.

He was dead, and Tonks was broken, it didn't matter how he looked.

She sobbed, almost angry he hadn't held on long enough to talk to her.

"Stupid, insensitive, unreliable werewolf!" she choked out angrily, a flash of green burst behind her but she barely noticed, unable to look away from his face as it was thrown into sharp relief.

Knowing that it was hopeless, she leaned into him and begged "Please wake up, please. I love you so much. Please."

He opened his eyes causing Tonks' own to widened in disbelief.

He smiled sadly at her "Hi Dora" he sighed as the smile slid off his face and reaching up to softly brush a lock of her mournful ebony hair behind one of her ears "I never wanted this to happen…"

But by this time Tonks had realised he was alive.

She threw her arms around him, dragging him to his feet then kissed him ferociously.

Through kisses she managed to say "I- thought- you- were- dead."

She could feel his lips frowning against hers.

"What is it?" she asked, barely able to believe this all could be real, that they had both survived.

Remus' eyes flitted to where he had been lying.

"I-it's… I don't know how to tell you but…" he trailed off miserably.

Dread filled Tonks' chest as she turned slowly on the spot.

She gasped in horror, her hand jumping to her mouth to stifle the scream she could feel bubbling to her lips.

Tonks could see herself – her body – lying lifelessly across Remus', quite obviously dead.

His hand slipped into hers, turning her around to face him.

"I'm sorry love, I never wanted this, you shouldn't have died, and I am so so-"

"Shut up" she snapped, squeezing his hand tightly "I didn't die for you to blame yourself for it" he stared ashamedly at the ground.

Tonks took the opportunity to scan the battlefield, she could see at least half a dozen people were standing up and leaving their bodies behind.

"If… if we're d-dead, then… then why are we still here? I thought you only came back if you were afraid…"

Remus still refused to meet her eyes, guilt coursing through his entire being "I was… told that when you die on the battlefield your spirit may linger long enough to see the result of the battle."

Tonks tried to process this.

"So we're ghosts… but no one can see us?"

Remus nodded solemnly.

"So what do we do until it's… over?"

"I have to go and take- take Harry. He'll call me soon. I'll get to see James again, and Lily and Sirius" there was a small trace of a smile on his face "Dora I'm so-"

"No, no, no" she held his face between her hands and leaned her forehead against his "this isn't your fault. I wish things were different for Teddy, but I know he'll be ok, he'll be proud of us and he'll have so many people who love him no matter what, even if we can't be there ourselves." They both smiled through the tears.

Tonks pulled back and looked into Remus' eyes "I love you and we're together. That's all that matters."

Remus nodded "I love you too, more than anything… I have to go soon, Harry will be calling me."

Tonks hesitated "Can I- can I go with you?" she asked tentatively.

"He won't be able to see you but…" Remus kissed her "I wouldn't want it any other way."

When Remus was called he paced towards the forest, hand in hand with Tonks.

While they walked other ghosts joined them, running up to the couple and following behind them.

Witches, wizards, house elves, hippogriffs and many other magical creatures joined their swelling ranks.

Fred Weasley bounced right up to the front of the group panting "We didn't miss it did we? That git hasn't gone yet has he?"

Remus shook his head and Fred relaxed, slowing to walk with a much younger looking blonde boy who had a camera attached to his belt, he bobbed along happily, almost a head shorter than everyone else.

As they got closer to the forest the years melted of off Remus' face, his scars mended and his hair lost all its grey.

Tonks had only ever seen this look on the rarest of occasions when he was so happy the look would shine through his weary face and make his scars and all signs of premature age disappear. It made her sad to think Remus never had much cause to look like this in life.

He looked so young and happy.

He was going to see the people he loved so much and lost so soon.

By the time Remus and Tonks had reached the forest every person who had died during the battle was standing there beside them, silently supporting Harry.

He couldn't see them but Harry's audience, the people that cared about him, were with him.

Until the very end.


End file.
